page_title: Detergent
section_title: Anionic detergents
hierarchical_section_title: Detergent / Chemical classifications of detergents / Anionic detergents
caption_attribution_description: English: structure of two common surfactants used in detergents and a common ingredient in soap
context_page_description: A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties in dilute solutions. These substances are usually alkylbenzene sulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to soap but are more soluble in hard water, because the polar sulfonate is less likely than the polar carboxylate to bind to calcium and other ions found in hard water.
  In domestic contexts, the term detergent by itself refers specifically to laundry detergent or dish detergent, as opposed to hand soap or other types of cleaning agents. Detergents are commonly available as powders or concentrated solutions. Detergents, like soaps, work because they are amphiphilic: partly hydrophilic and partly hydrophobic. Their dual nature facilitates the mixture of hydrophobic compounds with water. Because air is not hydrophilic, detergents are also foaming agents to varying degrees.
context_section_description: Typical anionic detergents are alkylbenzenesulfonates.  The alkylbenzene portion of these anions is lipophilic and the sulfonate is hydrophilic.  Two different varieties have been popularized, those with branched alkyl groups and those with linear alkyl groups.  The former were largely phased out in economically advanced societies because they are poorly biodegradable. An estimated 6 billion kilograms of anionic detergents are produced annually for domestic markets.
  Bile acids, such as deoxycholic acid (DOC), are anionic detergents produced by the liver to aid in digestion and absorption of fats and oils.
caption: Three kinds of anionic detergents: a branched sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, linear sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, and a soap.
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